Working Clumber Spaniel Society (WCSS) Field Trial

31st October 2013

As I drove up the drive of Kings Nympton Park to the Gamekeepers lodge, I was pleased to see overcast skies and a slight "nip" in the air. The forecast had been for heavy rain and strong winds.

After a warm cuppa John Zurrick (WCSS Secretary) provided an overview of the day ahead and introduced the two judges: Mr Keith Carter (A- Panel) and Mr Roy Langford (Non Panel). Both wished us all the best for the day and to enjoy ourselves. Easier said than done!

Competitors, dogs, guns etc, were then loaded into Landrovers and taken out to the Trial ground, a mixture of crop fields and woodland. On the day 12 dogs competed, 9 Clumbers, 2 Sussex and 1 Welsh springer spaniel.

My goal for the day was to try to get through the first run, this was in woodland. This achieved and with plenty of encouragement from others present, Stella and I set out on our second run in a crop field. Plenty of birds clearly present!!! The latter was an interesting experience as Stella had to sit, for what seemed a very long time, whilst the other dog running alongside her went for his retrieve. He ran just in front and around her, in addition to birds taking flight nearby. Her final retrieve was a "prickly" pheasant, which proved a challenge, but was eventually brought back and presented well.

In summing up the judges complemented the ground, ideally suited for minor breeds, and thanked the keepers and organisers. Also they were extremely pleased with the guns (hardly a bird missed), giving the dogs plenty to show off their abilities. Also it was good to see a number of youngsters and newcomers now competing.

The awards were then presented and I was extremely pleased to hear Stella being awarded a Certificate of Merit (COM). This is her best result during a her short working career, which all started at a training day organised by the SWSSC about 2 years ago. I'm sure that if I can improve and perfect my whistling then Stella will continue to improve!! I'd encourage anyone with a WSS to have a go.